“Loan will be explored” – But contract issue is preventing January move for youngster | OneFootball

With Christmas in the rear view mirror and January now almost here, we’ve been enjoying reading the Athletic’s explainer about Chelsea’s transfer window to come.

We’ve been told repeatedly not to expect big first team action, especially in terms of players coming in, but there should a sale or two and some loan action.

Young midfielder ready for loan after summer collapse

Sam Rak-Sakyi dances through midfield. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

One player we’re curious about is Sam Rak-Sakyi, who made his senior debut last season and has since been stuck in the Under-21s. According to this piece, a loan move to a Ligue 2 side broke down in the summer, and Chelsea could try this month to revive something. Given they have used up their foreign loan slots, it would have to be a domestic move.

It’s a bit of a niche one – we can’t imagine many fans beyond the most hardcore of Blues will be interested in what happens to Sam. But we certainly are. He’s got tons of talent and even if he doesn’t become a first team player at Chelsea, he’s got Premier League quality in him.

However, the two years contract he signed in August 2024 expires at the end of this season, and they’re not going to loan him out until he’s locked in for the future. Perhaps that is the holdup, and we could get an announcement of another contract soon.

In other news…

There are much more likely to be departures than additions – if Chelsea buy anyone at all, we expect it to be a young player for the future, and not for much money.

Another player on the move could be Marc Guiu – but he will have to wait until the summer before it happens. This looks to be another wasted season for him, and we don’t expect him to have the patience for many more of those.